They All Believed It
by EmilyMee
Summary: "Katniss you can't let her win, she was just like Snow. You have to let me fight it with you." One of the many interpretations of what happened to Katniss and Peeta before the epilogue.
1. Chapter 1

They all believed it. All thirteen districts and the capitol believed the story that the war had caused so much disruption in the lives of the 'star-crossed lovers' of District 12 that their relationship ended. Even Katniss and Peeta believed it. Everyone believed it, everyone except Haymitch.

Katniss seemed to be getting better as the weeks passed. Eating and supposedly sleeping, but no-one could deny the fact her cheeks were hollow and the dark shadows beneath her eyes were growing. No-one could understand what was happening to her, Greasy Sae made her eat, yet she seemed to be shrinking, Dr Aurelius had been watching her through the secret cameras Snow had embedded into the houses villages to make sure that she was sleeping.

As Katniss refused to participate in the compulsory weekly phone calls with Dr Aurelius, he had taken to watching her behaviours through these secret cameras. Despite feeling slightly apprehensive at first, watching Katniss meant that Dr Aurelius could witness one thing that he would not get from phone calls. Her nightmares. She called for Prim, Finnick, her father and Peeta. The images behind her eyes only known to herself caused the blankets to tangle around her unconscious body as she writhed around in the chair that she only left for the necessities. To anybody else, the cries were inaudible, but to Dr Aurelius the cries he heard through the speakers were cries for help.

After one of his late night sessions with Dr Aurelius in one of the high-tech Capitol mental rehabilitation centres, Peeta heard his name being called out. He stopped; there was no one else in the corridor. As he walked further down the corridor the voice was louder and more recognisable, it was Katniss. As she cried his name he ran to the room where it was coming from. As he peered through the crack in the door, he saw nothing apart from a dark shadow sat in front of a computer screen. Yet again he heard the cries; he opened the door and stepped in.

"I thought you'd find me here." Dr Aurelius said. As he turned around Peeta recognised him, as the careful doctor who could help Peeta out of his darkest moments. "Where is she?" Peeta stammered, unable to comprehend what was going on. As another whimper came from the speakers the confusion and fear in Peeta's face was clearly recognisable.

"She's not being hurt, don't worry. She's just dreaming." Dr Aurelius said in his gentle voice. As he sat down in one comfy looking chair he motioned for Peeta to do the same.

"She's been like this since she returned to District 12." Dr Aurelius continued. "She refused to pick up the phone so I had to resort to this," he said as he pointed towards the screen. As Peeta looked he saw the house that brought back so many memories, there was the vacant bedroom, the eerie kitchen and the quiet lounge, Katniss' house.

Looking closer, Peeta could see the petite frame of the girl he used to know. Used to love. Her eyes were closed, her dark eyelashes tickling her cheeks, her wild hair splayed out around the cushions. Peeta watched her as her chest moved up and down, reminding him that she was alive, and she was there. For some unknown reason Peeta didn't feel the common sense of anger and fear that usually surged through his body as he watched Katniss' fragile form. How could she ever harm him? How could she ever harm anyone?

"Wh-what happened to her?" Peeta finally said after what felt like hours.

"She broke after her sister died, your announcement that the 'star-crossed lovers' were no longer together broke her even more, she's still broken now, but there's no-one to pick up the pieces." Dr Aurelius explained as he looked at Katniss sleeping on the screen.

"Why do you do this?" Peeta questioned "Why do you stay up and watch her?" "Well, since Haymitch has been looking after her he expressed some worries that she may be suicidal, that the trauma could push her over the edge. So I have to make sure that she's still with us, even if she only speaks in her dreams."

After a long pause Dr Aurelius continued, "She calls for you, you know, in her dreams, or should I say nightmares... I don't know what is happening but she calls for you, sometimes screams so much that she wakes up." He looked up at Peeta, who was suddenly very interested in the back of his hand. "She still loves you, you know." And with that the doctor stood up and left, knowing that Peeta would probably stay all night he pivoted on his heel as he came to the door. "If you see her do anything that could harm her, press that green button, it alerts Haymitch and a few others in District 12 immediately."


	2. Chapter 2

**_Hey guys! Hope you liked chapter 1, I will try to write this every day sorry if I don't. GCSE's are a bummer!_**

As soon as Dr Aurelius left Katniss stirred, her head moved from side to side, if only Peeta could see what she was seeing! Maybe he could help her, but no. She was there and he was here, thousands of miles between them with an even bigger gap between their hearts.

After 10 minutes, the calling started.

"Peeta! Peeta! No, Peeta! Come back! Please! No!... Peeta! Stop! NO!"

Peeta sat there, helplessly staring at the screen, at the vulnerable girl who had no-one. She had no-one to fight the nightmares with, no one to hug her tightly, whisper soft things in her ear and gently rock her to sleep. As Peeta sat thinking of what he would do if he was in District 12, the memories flooded his mind. The train rides on the Victory Tour where they would lie, entangled beneath the sheets, fighting off each other's nightmares in their own special ways.

That's when the images became shiny, images of Katniss whispering Gale's name, confessing her love for Gale, rejecting Peeta's warmth and comfort. As the memories flooded Peeta's mind she morphed into the very wolves that caused him to lose his leg, the ones she pushed him into, her grey eyes glistening in the moonlight.

This couldn't be true. She couldn't be that way. "NO." He cried, "No, she's not bad! She couldn't push me! She's too weak! No! This isn't true. This can't be real."

He had to stay here, he couldn't go away to the place where he could stay for days, she needed him. Even though she could never know that he was there looking over her, she needed him. He had to hold on.

He sat there for an hour, tense, unmoving and guarded. Until he heard her whimpers, the soft sounds pulsing through the speakers. His muscles relaxed, she was so vulnerable. She couldn't hurt someone, she needed someone, she needed him. He had to go back; he had to go back to twelve.

He stayed there for the rest of the night, watching her sleep, slipping into sleep himself and cursing under his breath when he woke up and saw how many hours had passed. But he stayed, he didn't return to the wild land where his limbs were controlled by a monster. He had to stay.

When 8 o'clock came he heard the muffled steps of Dr Aurelius drawing nearer, as soon as the door was closed behind him, Peeta began to speak.

"Dr. I have to go back, I have to go back to twelve, it's my home and I need to be there. What can I do to show you?" Peeta blurted out.

"My dear boy, you showed us enough last night." Dr Aurelius replied. The look on Peeta's face must have given away his confusion because the doctor continued, "You see the houses in the Victor's Village's aren't the only rooms in the Capitol that are bugged... We watched you last night, your determination was evident and you are obviously able to control your hijacking with only a few side effects..." he said as he motioned to Peeta's arm where circular bruises were beginning to show.

"I-I-I hadn't even noticed they were there..." Peeta whispered to himself. "So does that mean I can go back?" he asked.

"By the end of the week, if you are deemed stable by the board, then yes. But I'd go and get some sleep, she doesn't need her guardian angel anymore." He said as he pointed to the screen where Katniss was stirring.

Peeta nodded and left the room, and as he walked down the corridor towards his room, he vowed that he would be back in District 12 and with Katniss by the end of the week.

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When Haymitch's phone rang, he answered it to an over excited Peeta who would be returning to District 12 by the end of the week. He had warned him about the state that Katniss was in; nothing could shake her from the faraway land where her mind hopelessly wandered.

As Haymitch passed the house between his and Katniss' he began to think about what the boy's re-appearance would do to her. Would she shrink away and leave them or would he change her for the better? Haymitch opened the door to Katniss' house and was rewarded by the smell of stew, helping himself to a bowl from the pot in the kitchen he slowly trekked through her house until he came to the spot where she had stayed for the weeks they had been in twelve. He began speaking, not knowing whether she was listening or not, he couldn't make her listen so he told her anyway. By the end of his speech, he looked up to find her grey eyes distant and vacant. He sighed, stroking her hair in a fatherly way and left. Only time would tell if their Mockingjay would ever sing again.

_**Please review! I want to know how to make this better! Thankyouu EMee**_


	3. Chapter 3

I DO NOT OWN THE HUNGER GAMES

It had been two days since Peeta had returned to District 12, anticipating that Katniss was only lost in her dream world throughout the nights, he was in for a shock. Haymitch had told Peeta how unresponsive Katniss was to the news of his return, and she just wasn't there.

So that night, Peeta waited. He waited for some kind of movement, a sign that there was still a life inside the dull house that stood across from his, but the only movement he could see was the soft glow from the fire against the dark shadow of the armchair he knew Katniss was confined to.

As sleep was not an option tonight, Peeta left his house and slowly crept into Katniss'. He hadn't seen Katniss for over a month, and did he notice the differences. Her hair was dull and tangled, her face was pale and thin, her skin was scarred and patchwork like, this was not the Katniss he apparently loved; this was a new Katniss who was broken into more pieces than there were scars on her body.

Katniss slept, gently whimpering every so often. Her vulnerability kept the flashbacks away, how could Peeta believe that this very person who sat in front of him ever wanted to kill him? Seeing her in person showed him that Katniss wasn't the enraged wolf, or the murderous girl he had been told she was, but that she was just a girl who had lost those she loved the most and was abandoned by those she trusted the most.

Peeta reached out and took Katniss' hand and for some reason, the whimpering stopped. He sat there for an hour, remembering all the things he could about her. How she would curl against him at night when the nightmares got bad and how her hair fell in waves around her head on the day before the Quarter Quell on the roof of the training centre. These memories did not shine like the rest of them, these memories were clean and simple, and they did not release the anger into Peeta's blood. She looked so beautiful on that day.

That's when Katniss' nightmares started, the whimpering started again and the haunted images that were imprinted on her mind came to life, the dead haunting her, the living abandoning her. Peeta picked up her fragile form, noticing how much weight she had lost, and carried her to the couch where he held her close until the murmuring stopped and her breathing evened out. As he placed her back into the uncomfortable chair she fell asleep in he gently caressed her face, taking care not to wake her before he left.

Once Peeta exited Katniss' house it was almost 5am. As his nightmares were just as bad as Katniss' he decided to start baking. At first he baked the simplest roll he could, to get his technique right. Then after his first batch was finished Peeta began to make cheese buns. At 8am Peeta delivered the plain bread to Haymitch, who was lying with his head on the table with drool down his face, and then he took the cheese buns to Katniss' house where Greasy Sae was beginning to make Katniss breakfast.

As Peeta handed over the bread, Sae thanked him with the same look the Capitol Attendant had when he and Katniss were going to the arena for a second time.

"She's doing OK you know" Sae finally said to break the silence, "she hasn't done anything bad for over two weeks, some days she's far away but some she just needs to be put on the right path for."

Peeta nodded and left, heading towards his own home. She hadn't done anything bad in for over two weeks? Were things really that bad?

As the day wears on Peeta can't help but wander into town, to see where his family lay, where his friends were killed and where they were being laid to rest. The meadow, if you could call it that had a large hole in centre with mounds of dirt piled up at the sides, suffocating the remaining plants that hadn't been dug up. The charred bodies being placed in the mass grave were unrecognisable, had it been Peeta's friend or foe, he wouldn't have known... But would that have mattered? They lost their lives because of Katniss' selfish act, she left him to die in that arena, and those words whispered on the beach were nothing more than an act, like it had always been. No, no, no. Katniss wasn't selfish. If she was him and Prim would have been dead in the first arena, and there would have been no revolution, she sacrificed her life, those she loved and her sanity for the good of the people of Panem. She wasn't lying. She wasn't selfish. She was lost.

After giving his respects to the dead, Peeta ventured into the woods. He had never been outside the barriers of District Twelve but Katniss always seemed to be in a better mood after visiting the woods. It could at least help couldn't it?


	4. Chapter 4

Peeta wandered through the forest he following no path for what seemed like hours, so when he ventured into a meadow Peeta lay on the soft grass with his head resting against a hollow log until the arms of sleep encircled him.

Peeta woke to the sweet call of the Mockingjays. He lay there against the log, the soft grass gently tickling his arms, the sweet smell of the primroses floating through the air. When the sun started to slowly dip into the horizon Peeta stood up and started to walk back. Now he understood why Katniss loved this place so much, the silence, only broken by the gentle birdsong, and the smell, not the stuffy smell that seemed to be emitted from the district but the sweet smell of flowers. Peeta liked this place, and if it could help Katniss come back to him he would love it.

When Peeta returned to his house it was nightfall and he found a bowl of stew waiting for him on the counter in his kitchen, Peeta took the bowl into the lounge and turned on the television. When Snow was president there would be propaganda films on a loop, showing what 'good' his corrupt government were supposedly doing. Now there were real life stories, stories of those in District 13, of those who initiated the rebellion and of course of The Star Crossed Lovers from District 12. After flicking through channels Peeta stopped on the channel with the documentary about him and Katniss.

There was a woman on the screen, long, dark hair falling to her shoulders, her tanned skin shimmering in the sunlight. Peeta could tell that she wasn't from the Capitol by her natural appearance but when she spoke in her Capitol accent Peeta recognised her straight away. Effie. She continued to talk about what sacrifices Peeta and Katniss had been forced to make, Prim, Peeta's family and their relationship. The screen then faded from the face of the more natural Effie, to District 12, the destruction, the re-building, a shot of the victor's village and the mass grave. As if on cue Peeta saw himself appear on the screen, he was standing next to the grave, where he had stood this morning, he saw himself look at the woods and go under the fence and then the television was turned off. Peeta turned around to see Haymitch with the remote in his hand.

"You can't watch things like that you'll just go back to how you were 6 months ago." Haymitch mumbled as he stepped out of Peeta's house.

That night Peeta's sleep was plagued by conflicting images inside his head; Katniss purposefully dropping the tracker jacker nest on top of him, her nursing his leg after Cato cut it, her pushing him into the monkey mutts in the Quarter Quell and the look of determination on her face after she kissed him during one of his flashbacks in the Capitol. What was real?

After a restless night Peeta ventured into town, the rebuilding had begun a week ago and he could already tell the difference. The paths were now clear of debris and the ruins were being demolished and new buildings were being planned. As Peeta walked to the outskirts of town he entered what was left of the Seam, those who had survived the bombings had travelled to other districts after the mines were declared unsafe. Peeta walked around for a while, he had never really been allowed into the Seam as his mother had banned him from venturing into it, but he knew one place, Katniss' old house. She never said it but Peeta thought that Katniss would have preferred to stay in this house after the first games.

Peeta took the same path that he did the day before towards the Meadow. Areas were being covered in soil, showing that the clear up of bodies had ended. For the second time Peeta ventured under the fence and towards the woods.

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_**Sorry that this chapter is short and that I haven't posted in a long time! If I get more reviews then I'll upload faster.**_

_**Sorry again, EMee.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone. Sorry I haven't updated in such a long time, everything's just been getting on top of me at the moment but I'm hoping that I can begin to update a lot more. **

**Reviews are welcome!**

Peeta walked in the opposite direction to the path he took the day before. He felt free. No Capitol camera crew would follow him into the woods, they were all too scared. As Peeta walked deeper into the woods he noticed a path, worn away from heavy use but it had obviously been abandoned long ago.

It must have been Katniss, her and Gale were the only person who ventured out of the district; she must have used this path.

Peeta took the well worn path which twisted and turned around trees bigger than Peeta could have ever imagined. He got lost in his thoughts, the beautiful colours of the soft green leaves up in the trees and how the constant bird song seemed to lift away his worries into the sky. This is why Katniss loved the woods so much, the freedom to roam wherever you want, to be in control of your destination. To get away from the rules and to let your worries blow away with the wind.

After around an hour of walking, Peeta found himself leaving the dense trees behind and venturing into the opening in front of him; where a small hut sat. _How peculiar_, Peeta thought to himself, _Why would there be a shelter out here? Surely no one has lived out here since Panem was formed? _And then he remembered... Katniss and her father. They must have been the ones to find this place. Or maybe they built it? Peeta walked over to the small hut and opened the weathered door. A small stack of chopped wood stood next to the fire place and the ashes from the fire that had been put out long ago were scattered across the floor gently moving in the wind coming through the broken window.

Peeta then walked over to the lake next to the hut, where he sat on a large rock, warmed by the afternoon sun. As he lay there his mind wandered to the words that had been circling his mind since Dr Aurelius said them _"She still loves you, you know"._

Still? Katniss never loved him; she only used him to rebel against the Capitol. The Mutt never loved him, even if she did, he could never love her. What she did to his family, what she did to Panem, the Mutt could never be forgiven. Katniss had caused so much damage to innocent people who supported her because they were just as naive as he was. _But she was willing to die for you. _A small voice inside his head caused Peeta to fall out of his trance. He squeezed his eyes together in an attempt to get rid of the conflicting images that burnt the backs of his closed eyelids, which were real? With a defeated sigh Peeta sat up and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw when his eyes focused was a cluster of Evening Primrose bushes.

"Prim." He whispered tears gathering in his eyes. She was the one who showed him the real Katniss, the caring older sister who would not stop fighting until her sister was safe. Who could believe that the Mutt who set out on a mission to kill him would sacrifice herself for her sister? Prim. Oh sweet, sweet, Prim, the only person who could calm him when he had one of his episodes in District 13 and she was gone. And when she left she took away the only person who could help him with his recovery - Katniss.

**Again please review, the more I get the more I'll update.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys I'm so sorry it's been so long since I last update- major case of writers block. Hopefully that's all gone now and you can expect to see more updates from me soon!**

**(Constructive criticism welcomed)**

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Peeta found himself back at his door, with no recollection of how he had arrived there. The last thing he could remember was the soft sway of the trees by the lake reminding him of how Katniss' hair would flow when she released it from her braid, and how her fur would look if she was a mutt. He ran a hand through his hair trying to get rid of the thoughts that plagued his mind and pulled out the twigs that were weaved into his long hair, throwing them into the bushes surrounding the outside of his house.

As Peeta entered his house, he caught a glimpse of himself in a corner of the covered mirror in the hallway. Ever since he had returned from the Capitol Peeta had been repulsed by the sight of himself. It was almost as if he could see the manipulation Capitol had done on his body, every little detail had been altered. His hair never had the soft golden glow that it had before the war, his eyes never glittered like the gems on Katniss' midnight blue dress from the Victory Tour anymore and the skin beneath his eyes had become purpled and creased by his lack of sleep. Peeta quickly covered up the corner of the mirror on display and made his way to the kitchen.

Days passed before Peeta was able to venture into Katniss' house again. Something about the haunting silence kept him from entering. It was almost as if time went into slow motion as soon as he stepped inside the house. Outside builders were still busy rebuilding the majority of the district, children played just like they had before the war and mothers looked on affectionately; glad that their children were safe and free. But the joy radiating from the regenerating district was sucked away like a vacuum once Peeta stepped into over the threshold. Just seeing her there, yet again in the same position, so still and oblivious to the outside world made Peeta's heart ache. He wasn't sure if he still loved her, there was too much damage for him to be able to love her again so soon but he still cared about her, it was part of who he was. He would never be able to ignore the pull towards Katniss that dragged him to his position on her couch, holding her hand, trying to pull her out of the darkness just like she did for him on the day of the fateful fight between the rebels and the Capitol. How could he ignore something so strong? They had gone through so much together, seen so much, shared so much in such a short space of time that they were linked by some invisible force. The silent secrets whispered to one another at night on the Victory Tour when neither one knew whether the other was awake, but it was comforting to merely know that someone was there who cared and who could be relied on for support if needed. Even if the other was asleep and the hushed secrets fell on deaf ears, speaking their fears, ambitions and dreams created a bond that no amount of terror or disruption could break.

Peeta left Katniss yet again to venture out into the forest, now he definitely knew why Katniss and Gale felt the pull towards it. The silence away from the roaring machines of their harsh district had an inexplicable calming affect that was almost a guarantee whenever Peeta could feel a flashback beginning to niggle at the back of his mind. This time though it was different. Peeta felt no need to explore the depths of the forest that contained the hidden treasures of Katniss' past for his own benefits; he felt a pull towards the forest so that he could possibly bring Katniss back, just for a second, just so that he could see any kind of hidden emotion within her eyes. She always believed that no one could read her and that she could merely put on a blank face and act along to whatever was needed by the Capitol or Coin, but he could see behind it all. It wasn't the cliché 'I know you so well I can see you're trying to hide your emotions', it was the knowledge Peeta had built up over the years of watching her fight for her own life as well as her families daily that allowed him to dissect every action and find the real reason behind her facade.


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